Signs of ADHD in girls vs. boys

ADHD in girls, more commonly, is the inattentive type, that is without the hyperactivity part. In boys, it is more common the combined type, ADHD with hyperactivity.
However, you can have it the other way around. You can have girls who are hyperactive and boys that are predominantly inattentive. More often in girls, you find the quiet, daydreamy, non-disruptive form. That's why girls don't get diagnosed, because they aren't causing anyone any problem. They are dismissed as slow or shy or not very bright. The boy has to get diagnosed because he is overturning the desks.
You want to keep your eye out for the inattentive type of ADHD, more commonly in girls than in boys. Those are the ones who get overlooked. Any child who is underachieving and you don't understand why, consider that they may have ADHD.

Edward Hallowell, MD, EdD

Psychiatrist, ADHD Specialist, & Author

Edward (Ned) Hallowell, MD, EdD is a Harvard-trained Child and Adult Psychiatrist in practice in Sudbury, MA (outside Boston) and New York City. The author of 18 books, Dr. Hallowell specializes in learning differences such as ADHD and dyslexia, both of which he has himself. He has also written extensively on general issues of parenting and living in our modern age. He lives in the Boston area with his wife of 23 years, Sue, and their three children, Lucy, Jack, and Tucker.

ADHD in girls, more commonly, is the inattentive type, that is without the hyperactivity part. In boys, it is more common the combined type, ADHD with hyperactivity.
However, you can have it the other way around. You can have girls who are hyperactive and boys that are predominantly inattentive. More often in girls, you find the quiet, daydreamy, non-disruptive form. That's why girls don't get diagnosed, because they aren't causing anyone any problem. They are dismissed as slow or shy or not very bright. The boy has to get diagnosed because he is overturning the desks.
You want to keep your eye out for the inattentive type of ADHD, more commonly in girls than in boys. Those are the ones who get overlooked. Any child who is underachieving and you don't understand why, consider that they may have ADHD.